I’m sick of writing “modern home defense sporting rifle.” The war of weapon words has been lost since at least September 13, 1994, when Bill “I did not have sex with that woman” Clinton signed the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. Yes, the enemies of the Second Amendment conflate semi-automatic and automatic rifles. But attempting to distinguish the two in the public’s mind is a fool’s errand. Besides, is the term “assault rifle” really that bad?

While I appreciate the fact that an AR or similar can make a damn fine hunting rifle, they’re not tickle sticks for Christ’s sake. Defending yourself against bad guys isn’t a “sport”. Well, it shouldn’t be. The again, imagine Wipeout . . . just kidding. As Adam Deciccio recently taught me, you don’t defend yourself against a mortal enemy. You attack them. You assault them. And if you do, I wouldn’t recommend doing so with a .22 caliber rifle. Unless . . .

A) It’s all you have and B) it’s all you can afford C) you can afford a larger caliber weapon but remember the old Midas muffler ad where the guy in the limo tells the grease monkey “How do you think a man like me got to be a man like me?” or D) you’re in a post-apocalyptic world where you need to travel long distances, meet interesting people and kill them. Along with small animals, which you would eat. But not necessarily share with your neighbors.

.22 cal assault rifles are famous for misfeeds and failures to fire. The guns tend to be more ammo sensitive than a Brady Campaign member contemplating a gun enthusiast’s well-stocked man cave. America being a rough simulacrum of free market capitalism, a cartridge manufacturer has rushed once more into the breach, Dear Horatio. The presser:

Winchester Ammunition continues to invest in its rimfire product line with the development of a new 22 LR round for use in Modern Sporting Rifles (MSR).

New for 2011, this bullet is designed and packaged specifically for use in the growing number of high-capacity MSR 22 LRs.

The new M-22 features a 40-grain Plated Lead Round Nose bullet optimized for reliable feeding in high capacity magazines.

In addition, the M-22 utilizes non-corrosive priming and clean burning powder that delivers an ultrafast 1255 fps velocity and exceptional accuracy.

“The M-22 is designed for the high capacity MSR and provides a smooth functioning, affordable option with great accuracy,” said Brett Flaugher, vice president of sales and marketing for Winchester Ammunition.

“We made the M-22 available exclusively in a 1000-round bulk value pack to meet the demands of our customers at an attractive price point.”

The new M-22 LF Bullet features:

  • Velocity: 1255 fps
  • Grains: 40
  • Bullet Type: Plated Lead Round Nose
  • Cartridge: 22 LR
  • Availability: 2011

The round’s not on Winchester’s website, which means it ain’t on the shelves yet neither. TTAG will test as and when. Meanwhile, Lucky Gunner has a fine selection of .22LR ammo that’s guaranteed to, uh, help you learn how to run your MSR ASAP (FWIW). Our test and evaluation ISSC MK22 FN-SCAR clone ran Remington all day long, without an FTF or a major assault on our editorial budget. How great is that?

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21 COMMENTS

  1. Never had an issue with the term “assault rifle.” Any attempts to gussy up the name just makes us look as if we’re engaging in foolish doublespeak.
    A bunch of guys with military style rifles can carry out a pretty good “assault” even if their weapons are only semiautomatic.
    Wasn’t an early iteration of the M-16 semiauto only, with the intent of selling it to the military as such?

    • The controlled pair in semi-auto mode is what the modern army teaches in sweeping buildings.

      • Modern Army? They’ve been instructing that you don’t use full auto for decades, presumably until you’re in a spot hairy enough that disobeying that is at the bottom of your list of important things.

  2. Yes, it IS that bad since it is a term invented by gun grabbing loons to demonize a class of legitimate firearms. If you don’t like “sport”, which I have no problem with since most of us will be using it for sport rather than actually defending ourselves with it, call it a personal defense weapon.

    In terms of 22 fodder, we don’t need anything special, just something that feeds–but, its difficult to get a marketing tag line from that.

  3. “.22 cal assault rifles are famous for misfeeds and failures to fire.”
    I’ve fired around 2,500 rnds on Winchester 555 through my M&P15 .22 and I can’t recall one failure to fire. I have had some failures to feed though.
    I’m not a fan of the term “assault rifle” but it’s here to stay…unfortunately.

    • Is there such thing as an “assault knife” , and yet if you want to assault someone it still causes death( the same result).

      • Yes there absolutely is, most if not all states legislate what they consider to be a knife that’s an illegal assault weapon, though some use weasel words that extend broader like “use in threatening manner”, though I suppose if some crackhead is wielding a knife and he’d use a bigger one if he had one, the intent is still there…

    • Is there such thing as an “assault knife” , and yet if you want to assault someone it still causes death(the same result). And then criminally , knife or firearm its classified as the same, which causes more damage, and is more likely to cause death.

    • I also have a SW Mp 15-22 Ive never had a misfire or a misfeed. with over 5000 rds shot. I meticulously clean my rifle after every usage and i never fail to have eccelent acuracy and performance and these rounds work perfectly for me every time and im in florida with harsh humidity.

  4. AR15s and the like are not assault rifles, as those are select fire, or “modern home defense sporting rifles” either. They are rifles and nothing more. Creating a distinction serves no purpose other than making you sound foolish.

  5. When it comes to language, nobody owns it. Not the government, not dictionary publishers, not the King of England. Language is defined by usage. Its evolution, over time, is the most democratic process in human civilization.

    I know a firearms instructor that will fine you $1 every time you use the word “weapon” in one of his classes. I think he’s just taking his own form of political correctness too far (but he sure cleans up on retired military and LEOs).

    I’ve never used any of my guns as a weapon, I hope I never have to and in all likelihood, I never will. I never call them weapons but I don’t get bent out of shame when someone does.

    • People only have power over them if you let them. An instructor has no more right or ability to fine you $1 than you do to fine him every time he says anything you don’t feel like hearing, UNLESS you signed a contract granting him that.

      If doesn’t agree, and tries to extort $1, he’s a criminal. Law really is that simple.

  6. Assault rife to me means exactly that. It was devised to ASSAULT well held positions by allowing a sustained amount of rapid, powerful fire to be applied to the target by MOVING infantrymen. Before then all you had was a fixed machine gun hammering a position while a couple of riflemen went up the side and hoped someone stuck something out to shoot. The assault rifle allows sustained fire and movement while keeping the target’s head down. Applying it generally to a PDW or sport gun to me just sounds silly. When I think assault rifle I think fully loaded guns blazing AK or my favorite – the G36. A semi just doesn’t deserve the term.

    While I understand that the sissies of society think the word assault rifle is bad, those of us that know its term and why it (the gun) was invented and meant to be used can know better and not be stuck on the word assault.

    Remember kids. Guns don’t kill people. People kill people. Cars don’t have accidents. People have accidents. Planes don’t crash. People crash them.

  7. The phrase “modern home defense sporting rifle” is clumsy, and the term “assault rifle” was intended to demonize a whole class of rifles, just as the rabbi says. Is it so freakin’ hard just to call them “ARs?”

  9. Filth, in the form of wax lubricant and unburned powder residue, is Kryptonite to your blowback-operated .22. If these Winchester rounds do in fact burn and shoot cleanly, they’ll make any. 22 semiautomatic more reliable. That can only be a good thing, even if its also clever marketing. Let’s see what the price point is.

  10. My firearms instructor is an old marine and he tells us that we fire our weapon and we play with our gun (if you’ve got a dirty mind you’ll get what he means by this).

  11. I don’t like the term “assault rifle” either . It is rarely applied to true assault guns, meaning select fire, but to anything that vaguely military or otherwise scary looking to politicians and the gun ignorant.

    About the ammo, I suppose its a good thing even though I haven’t had any problem with the cheap stuff. However I don’t have any “assault” .22s either just a modded 10/22 and revolver.

  12. When they said “new .22 caliber rimfire for assault rifles”, I was SO hoping they meant one with that was .224 in. diameter instead of the slightly undersized .223 Long Rifle diameter.

  13. I like the word assault rifle because no matter what rife i have i will assault anything in my way as far as winchesters new .22 ammo i love it ive shot thousands of rounds with no problem if u have problems id say it must be your gun and how u take care of it

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